Florida woman arrested after selling human bones dating back 500 years in her "Wicked Wonderland" shop - human skulls were priced at $600
A Florida curio shop owner thought she'd found a niche market selling human remains. She was wrong.
A Macabre Discovery Before Christmas
Just days before Christmas in 2023, Orange City Police received a disturbing tip about a local store called "Wicked Wonderland."
The complaint wasn't about haunted dolls or occult items typically found in such establishments.
Instead, authorities were alerted to something far more sinister: the store was allegedly selling actual human remains.
And these weren't just any bones. According to police reports, the store had been openly advertising their macabre merchandise on Facebook, complete with price tags.
A Bone-Chilling Inventory
When investigators looked into the store's online presence, they discovered a veritable catalog of human remains for sale.
The inventory included:
- Two human skull fragments — $90
- A human clavicle and scapula — $90
- A human rib — $35
- A human vertebrae — $35
- A partial human skull — $600
Police decided to investigate in person, sending an officer to the Volusia County establishment.
The Store Owner's Defense
When confronted, one of the store's owners made a surprising admission to police.
She confirmed that the store had multiple human bone fragments, all purchased from private sellers, and mentioned she has documentation for these transactions but could not provide it at that moment.
The owner claimed they had been selling human remains for years, completely unaware that doing so was illegal in Florida.
Police collected the human remains as evidence, and both store owners later met with investigators to discuss the situation.
Kymberlee Schopper, 52, identified as the primary owner of "Wicked Wonderland," attempted to justify the sales by claiming the bones were "educational models," which she believed would make them legal to sell under state law.
Ancient Origins Revealed
In the year following the initial complaint, experts examined the confiscated bones and made some startling discoveries.
The cranium belonged to an adult man and was likely an archaeological find.
One skull fragment came from the right parietal bone and was also believed to be from an archaeological site.
A cervical vertebra may have been part of an anatomical model due to its condition and "uniform brown coloration."
Most shockingly, scientific testing revealed that some of the bones were extraordinarily old – one sample was determined to be over 100 years old, while another was estimated to be more than 500 years old.
The Arrest and Charges
Despite having nearly a year to contemplate the seriousness of her alleged crimes, Schopper apparently never expected the hammer to drop.
On Thursday night, Kymberlee Schopper was arrested and charged with trading in human tissue – a serious offense under Florida law.
The Deltona woman was released early Friday morning after posting a $7,500 bond.
Florida statutes strictly prohibit the buying, selling, or possession of human remains outside of specific educational or medical contexts, regardless of how old the remains might be.
As for the fate of "Wicked Wonderland" and its remaining inventory of curiosities, that remains to be seen – though presumably, the human bone business has been permanently laid to rest.
